Every year, the Junior Classical League (MJCL) hosts a service project called Mythopaloosa to help kids from schools all around Atlanta prepare for the Pegasus Mythology Exam, an annual national exam. This tradition started in 2014 when Dr. Saunders and Mr. Marier decided to host this wonderful event.
All who attended Mythopaloosa were assigned to a “God group,” following this leader throughout the day and playing for their team. The leader gods were played by JCL members and volunteers, creating an ancient, immersive atmosphere for the children. The children also participated in Certamen, a quizbowl-style jeopardy game.
This year, the theme for the Pegasus Mythology Exam was the underworld, so the MJCL transformed Ivy Street Center into several regions of the underworld, including Tartarus, the Elysium Fields, and the River Styx.
On the third floor of Ivy, students participated in many underworld-themed stations and tasks, such as Pin the Ear on King Midas and a math station centered around the never-ending labor of Sisyphus, cursed to push a boulder endlessly up a mountain.
Also on the third floor of Ivy was a life-sized recreation of Ixion’s endlessly spinning wheel that the kids were able to spin on. As part of the stations, kids spun a wheel of dares that either permitted them to leave the underworld, dance, or spin on the wheel. Most of the kids enjoyed this experience the most, the daring experience of spinning on the wheel.
After students completed the stations, they went to Connelly Lecture Hall for a museum-style presentation about underworld myths, such as the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice. The students even participated in a section of the musical “Hadestown,” using props from the theater department. Johanna Hanes, an MJCL co-consul, shared his thoughts about the theatrical portion of the event. “It was really fun seeing the kids get into character with all the props,” Hanes said.
Along with the certamen, stations, and the museum, students participated in a rap battle, each group creating a fun rap about their god.
Latin student Tenley Turner reflected on the experience of helping to lead the event. “Making the rap with my kids was really fun because they knew so much about mythology, and it was so sweet to watch them work together,” Turner said.Many other volunteers enjoyed meeting the students since the students’ knowledge was so impressive, and the battle at the end of the day created such a fun atmosphere.
The competition this year was tough, with close ties throughout the certamen and the raps.
Overall, team Zeus, led by senior Rex Nassah, took first place with a whopping 1,150 points! They gained the majority of their points during the certamen, although they placed second in certamen. Team Aphrodite, led by senior Kaitlyn Escayg, placed first in certamen, earning 355 points.